The Nine Navratna Gemstones: Planet, Price and What to Check Before You Buy

GemKrishna India · Kirti Nagar, New Delhi

Two things go wrong when people buy an astrological gemstone in India, and they are both avoidable.

The first is buying the wrong stone — picked off a rashi chart on a website rather than from an actual birth chart. The second is paying five times what a stone is worth, because nobody explains what moves the price of a ratna.

This page covers both. The nine navratna, what each is traditionally for, and then the part almost nobody publishes: the four things that decide what a stone actually costs.

Start here

• The nine navratna and their planets
• What actually decides the price
• Treatment: the thing that changes the price most
• Ratti, carat and weight
• How to buy one properly
• What you can buy from us today

The nine navratna

Planet	Stone	English	Traditionally for
Surya — Sun	Manik	Ruby	Authority, vitality, confidence
Chandra — Moon	Moti	Pearl	Calm, emotional steadiness, sleep
Mangal — Mars	Moonga	Red Coral	Courage, energy, drive
Budh — Mercury	Panna	Emerald	Intellect, speech, business and communication
Guru — Jupiter	Pukhraj	Yellow Sapphire	Wisdom, marriage, prosperity — the most commonly prescribed
Shukra — Venus	Heera	Diamond	Comfort, relationships, artistry
Shani — Saturn	Neelam	Blue Sapphire	Discipline, focus — and the one to be most careful with
Rahu	Gomed	Hessonite Garnet	Clarity, protection from confusion
Ketu	Lehsunia	Cat's Eye Chrysoberyl	Focus, detachment, protection

Do not choose from this table alone. A real recommendation comes from the whole chart — house placement, dasha, the strength and condition of the planet — not from your rashi. The chart routinely calls for a stone that a rashi lookup would never have suggested, and occasionally rules out the obvious one entirely.

Neelam deserves a specific warning. It is traditionally treated as the fastest-acting and least forgiving of the nine, and it is not something to start wearing because a website suggested it. Every astrologer we have dealt with says some version of the same thing.

If you have no astrologer, start with our astrology quiz or the gemstone selector. If you just want a stone you like the look of, that is a completely legitimate reason to buy one and you can skip all of this.

What actually decides the price

Two stones of the same name and the same weight can differ by a factor of a hundred. Four things explain almost all of it.

1. Treatment

The single biggest factor. An untreated stone with a laboratory report confirming it is untreated is in a different market from a treated one. More on this below.

2. Origin

Kashmir and Burmese material commands a premium over Ceylon, which commands one over Thai or African. This is partly quality and partly scarcity and reputation.

3. Colour and clarity

Within the same stone, the difference between a pale, included piece and a saturated clean one is enormous — far bigger than most buyers expect.

4. Carat weight, non-linearly

A 10 carat stone is not ten times a 1 carat stone. Large clean stones are disproportionately rare, so price per carat climbs steeply with size.

A real example from our own stock: a 15.96 carat natural blue sapphire, certified by GRS Swisslab. Untreated, at that size, with that report. That is what the top of this market looks like, and it is why “neelam price per carat” is an unanswerable question without seeing the actual stone.

At the other end, a lab-certified hessonite gomed bracelet is ₹1,399. Both are genuine. They are simply different products.

Treatment: what you need to ask

Most gemstones on the Indian market are treated, and a great deal of the time nobody mentions it.

• Emerald (panna) — the overwhelming majority is oiled or resin-filled to improve apparent clarity. Untreated emerald of good colour is genuinely rare.
• Sapphire (neelam, pukhraj) — routinely heated. Heat is stable and widely accepted, but an unheated stone with a report saying so costs far more.
• Ruby (manik) — heated, and frequently glass-filled. Glass-filled ruby is worth a small fraction of the untreated equivalent and is sold as ruby constantly.
• Coral (moonga) — often dyed or reconstituted.

Our policy: our astrological gemstone range includes both treated and untreated stones, and the treatment status is written in the product title — not buried three paragraphs into a description. If a stone is heated, the title says heated.

Traditional jyotish practice generally prefers a natural, untreated stone. Some astrologers accept heating and not other treatments. We offer three tiers so you can decide before you spend:

1. No treatment at all — the strictest, and the most expensive
2. Natural, but standard treatment such as heating is acceptable
3. Any treatment — if you are buying for appearance rather than jyotish

Every stone we sell carries a laboratory report, whatever it costs, from GJSPC, IGI, GRS Swisslab, IIGJ, GSI or GIA. The report number is printed on the listing and you can verify it yourself before paying. You can also ask to see the report before you buy.

Ratti, carat and the weight your astrologer gave you

Astrologers almost always specify weight in ratti. Gemstones are traded in carat. The two are not the same and the conversion is where people get confused and overbuy.

Use our ratti to carat calculator rather than guessing. If your astrologer said 5 ratti, you need the carat figure before you can compare prices meaningfully — and a stone slightly over the prescribed weight is normally fine, while under is not.

One more practical point: the stone must touch your skin in most traditional prescriptions, which is why astrological rings are made with an open back. Our silver pieces are made this way by default, and our astrology page covers the finger, metal and day traditionally specified for each planet.

How to buy one properly

Loose astrological gemstones are not an off-the-shelf purchase, and we do not pretend otherwise. Each one is a single stone with its own colour, clarity, origin and report, and it is worth seeing options before committing.

So our gem selection service works like this:

• You tell us the stone, the weight range, your budget, the setting and metal you want, and your treatment preference from the three tiers above
• You pay a ₹500 advance — that is all
• We source and show you stones until you are satisfied. We have direct sourcing relationships, so this is not a catalogue browse
• The ₹500 is adjusted against whatever you finally buy. A ₹5,000 stone means you pay ₹4,500 more, not ₹5,000. It is not refundable as cash
• The lab report charge is collected later, not at that checkout

If you would rather just talk it through first, WhatsApp us. The guidance is free and unlimited, and we will tell you if we think the stone you have been recommended is not worth what you are about to pay for it.

Once you have the stone, we set it. Any ring size, any finger, handmade or cast, in 925 silver, panch dhatu, german silver or gold, with any plating. Made by our own karigars in six to seven days. You can also send us a stone you already own and we will set it — that is a normal request here, not a favour.

What you can buy today

Astrological gemstones set in 925 silver

• Hessonite Gomed Bracelet — ₹1,399
• Hessonite Gomed 8 mm Bracelet, lab certified — ₹3,599
• 925 Silver Emerald Panna Bracelet — ₹6,999
• 925 Silver Blue Sapphire Neelam Bracelet — ₹7,499
• 925 Silver Oval Emerald Panna Halo Ring — ₹17,400
• 925 Silver Emerald Panna Statement Ring — ₹30,800
• 925 Silver Panna Ring, designer setting — ₹35,800
• Silver Chain and Locket with Siloni Gomedh — ₹34,200

More in our guide to 925 silver rings for astrological gemstones, which lists every ring currently in stock with prices, or browse all 925 silver rings.

If a ratna is out of budget right now

An astrological gemstone and a crystal are different things, and the crystal is not a cheap substitute for the ratna. But if what you want is something to wear with an intention behind it, our purpose-by-purpose crystal guide starts at ₹499, and nobody needs to read your chart first.

Why buy this from us

Every stone is certified individually. Six labs, a report number unique to that stone, printed on the listing and verifiable online before you pay.

Treatment status is in the title. Not the fine print.

We say no. Free, unlimited WhatsApp guidance, including telling you when a stone is not worth its asking price or when you do not need it at all.

We set it ourselves. In-house karigars with 40+ years' experience, under designer Poonam Gupta of SILVY by Poonam Gupta. Any size, any metal, any plating, open-back settings by default. After-sales polishing, re-plating and resizing.

Cleansed and energised before dispatch, with pran pratishtha performed at the mandir. Basic energisation free; fuller puja options selectable before ordering.

Ordering

• 10% off your first order
• Free delivery across India, shipped from Delhi via Delhivery One
• ₹150 off prepaid; partial COD — 20% online, 80% on delivery
• 30-day return on standard products; made-to-order settings are outside it, and resizing is handled as after-sales
• Silver hallmarking can be added at checkout as “Silver Hallmark (Tonch)” for ₹249, adding up to 2 days
• WhatsApp +91 76782 75972, 11 am – 9 pm, or contact@gemkrishna.com

We ship within India only at present. More on our FAQs page.

Frequently asked questions

What are the nine navratna stones?

Manik or ruby for the Sun, moti or pearl for the Moon, moonga or red coral for Mars, panna or emerald for Mercury, pukhraj or yellow sapphire for Jupiter, heera or diamond for Venus, neelam or blue sapphire for Saturn, gomed or hessonite garnet for Rahu, and lehsunia or cat's eye chrysoberyl for Ketu.

Which gemstone should I wear according to astrology?

That comes from your full birth chart — house placement, dasha and the condition of the planet — not from your rashi alone. A rashi-based table often suggests a stone the chart would not. Use an astrologer, or start with GemKrishna's astrology quiz and gemstone selector.

Why do two gemstones of the same weight cost so differently?

Treatment, origin, colour and clarity, and the fact that price per carat rises steeply with size. An untreated stone with a laboratory report confirming it is untreated sits in a different market from a treated one.

Are most emeralds and sapphires treated?

Yes. Most emerald on the market is oiled or resin-filled, and most sapphire is heated. Ruby is frequently glass-filled, which is worth a fraction of untreated material. GemKrishna states treatment status in the product title.

Is blue sapphire safe to wear?

Neelam is traditionally regarded as the fastest-acting and least forgiving of the navratna, and is not a stone to begin wearing on the basis of a website suggestion. Consult an astrologer first.

How do I convert ratti to carat?

Astrologers specify weight in ratti while gemstones are traded in carat, and the two differ. Use GemKrishna's ratti to carat calculator rather than estimating. A stone slightly above the prescribed weight is normally acceptable; below is not.

How does GemKrishna's gemstone selection service work?

You specify the stone, weight range, budget, setting, metal and treatment preference, and pay a 500 rupee advance. GemKrishna sources and shows stones until you are satisfied. The 500 rupees is adjusted against the final purchase rather than refunded, and the lab report charge is collected later.

Can I send my own gemstone to be set?

Yes. GemKrishna sets customer-supplied stones in 925 silver, panch dhatu, german silver or gold, in any ring size, with open-back settings by default so the stone touches the skin.

Gemstone selector · Ratti to carat calculator · Astrology quiz · 925 silver gemstone rings · Verify a lab report